Spain swelters as temperatures soar above May average

Tourists use fans and hats for sun protection outside La Almudena Cathedral during an episode of exceptionally high temperatures for the time of year in Madrid, Spain, May 21, 2022. REUTERS/Susana Vera

People waved fans, glugged water and splashed themselves at fountains in Spain on Saturday as the country sweltered under unseasonably high temperatures pushing close to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places.

"The early morning of May 21 was extraordinarily warm for the time of year in much of the centre and south of the peninsula," national weather agency AEMET wrote on Twitter.